The use of section 135(1) of the Mental Health Act in a London borough

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the incidence of the use of section 135(1) of the Mental Health Act 1983 in a London borough and describe the main features of the population subject to that section.

Design/methodology/approach

Uses of section 135(1), hospital stay, and demographic data were gathered from service and patient records over one year. Means, medians, modes and standard deviation were calculated for interval data. Nominal data were cross-tabulated and the chi square test applied where appropriate. Study data were compared to census and national hospital data; the significance of proportional population differences were calculated using the Z-test.

Findings

In total, 63 uses of section 135(1) were recorded. It was primarily used with people with psychotic diagnoses (79 per cent), and was used predominantly in black populations, and among people aged 40-54. People admitted to hospital after section 135(1) use who had psychosis diagnoses had median spells in hospital that were double the corresponding national median.

Research limitations/implications

Total uses of section 135(1) in the borough equated to 25 per cent of the national total for all section 135 admissions recorded in 2012/2013. Hospital statistics in England focusing on admissions alone may fail to reflect a more widespread use of this section. Further research is required to confirm and develop the findings of this small scale study.

Practical implications

The repeated use of this section is suggested as a marker for reviewing practice and resource allocation to prevent or shorten hospital admissions for people with psychosis diagnoses.

Originality/value

This paper highlights gaps in NHS data collection in England relevant to policy makers, mental health service providers, and the police service.

Citation

Watson, J. and Daley, S. (2015), "The use of section 135(1) of the Mental Health Act in a London borough", Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 133-143. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-02-2015-0007